


Tongue-Tied

by VoidfishDuet



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: (technically) - Freeform, Canon Compliant, First Kiss, M/M, based on a tweet, kaiba doesn't know he has a crush on yugi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:29:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29140800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoidfishDuet/pseuds/VoidfishDuet
Summary: When Kaiba leaves a cryptic note in Yugi's locker, it's up to him to figure out what Kaiba's trying to say. Surely, he doesn't literally want Yugi to "get out of his school," right?
Relationships: Kaiba Seto/Mutou Yuugi
Comments: 7
Kudos: 45





	Tongue-Tied

**Author's Note:**

> yes, this is based on that tweet that goes "when i was seven i had a crush on a girl in my class & didn't know how to deal with it so i wrote her a letter that just said 'get out of my school'" because it's extremely on brand for kaiba. pour one out for him. thanks to cassie (duelistkingdom on here) for providing excellent beta service!

Yugi was having one of the strangest days of his life, including the day he was first possessed by an Ancient Egyptian spirit. It started off fairly normally, all things considered; he woke up on time, got ready fairly quickly, and made it to school unscathed, with no random duels or kidnapping threats. However, his hopes of having an average day were quickly dashed when he saw Seto Kaiba beside his locker.

“Hi, Kaiba, it’s, uh, good to see you!” Yugi said, a confused smile on his face. Kaiba, for his part, looked incredibly uncomfortable. His spine was ramrod-straight, and he had arranged his features into something approximating his usual aloof manner, but he was nowhere as calm and collected as Yugi was used to. Regardless, he still radiated an intense aura, and Yugi couldn’t look him in the eyes for longer than a couple seconds before he had to look away, heart pounding.

“Yugi.” Kaiba gave a stiff nod. “I’ll see you in class,” he said, before turning on his heel and striding away. Without his trademark coat billowing behind him, the effect was less dramatic, but it still left Yugi staring after him until he rounded the corner of the hallway. He sighed, putting his hand to his forehead briefly. Great, he got out one stuttering sentence, and he scared Kaiba away. This was why the Pharaoh usually interacted with Kaiba; he didn’t get as tongue-tied as Yugi did around good-looking people.

When he went to get his books out of his locker, though, Yugi was even more confused. There was an envelope on top of his textbooks, with his name, both family and given, in small, typed letters on the front. _It’s not like I’d get confused about whether this was meant for me_ , Yugi thought. The envelope was thin enough that it could fit through the slits on the front of the door, so someone must have dropped it through there.

It wasn’t until he was seated in class that he was able to open the envelope, revealing a piece of typed stationery. The note was succinct enough that he could take in all the information with one sweep of his eyes:

_Yugi,_

_Get out of my school._

Though the note wasn’t signed, the bold “KC” logo in the top left corner of the page, along with Kaiba’s suspicious behavior by his locker, was evidence enough of who had authored it. However, that was the only thing that was clear to Yugi. For a few moments, he stared at the paper, reading the words over and over again, hoping to find a code or puzzle between the lines. It was no use, which left him with one question—well, he had several questions, but one encompassed them all. What did Kaiba actually want?

“It’s obvious,” Jonouchi said, when Yugi brought up the note at the lunch table. “He’s sick of gettin’ beat by you, so he wants you to transfer so he doesn’t have to think about it anymore.”

“That can’t be it, Kaiba knows that Yugi can’t just leave Domino,” Anzu responded, a contemplative look in her eyes.

“Exactly, there’s got to be some other meaning! It’s driving me crazy.” Yugi dropped his head into his hands. “Kaiba is usually so blunt, so I don’t know why he’s trying to beat around the bush now.” A small part of him wondered if Kaiba had caught onto the way he felt about him. That would explain the cold note, as well as his uncomfortable demeanor. It wasn’t likely; Kaiba didn’t seem to be the type to be very interested in people’s romantic feelings, especially toward himself, but the possibility still sent a chill down his spine.

“Maybe he means it metaphorically?” Honda’s voice made Yugi raise his head, joining his friends in staring at Honda.

“Honda, what the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Jonouchi said. Honda’s face went from curious to embarrassed in half a second, face flushing.

“I-I mean, Kaiba’s not always direct!” Honda had his hands raised, as though defending himself from Jonouchi’s disbelief. “What if he’s trying to say something else, but he doesn’t want to come right out and say it? Like, it could be something he thinks is embarrassing or weird, y’know?”

“Right, like Kaiba’s capable of being embarrassed. You see what he wears when he duels, right?” Jonouchi shot back. That wasn’t exactly true, in Yugi’s opinion. Someone’s style of dress couldn’t tell you how they felt. Besides, he happened to like Kaiba’s… _unique_ fashion sense.

Anzu spoke up again, chin resting on her hand. “Why don’t you just ask him what he meant, Yugi?”

Yugi burst out laughing. “Are you serious, Anzu? Kaiba doesn’t give me the time of day unless we’re dueling. Besides, if it’s something he couldn’t say in a note, what makes you think he’d tell me in person?” He left out his difficulty talking to attractive people. It was a miracle he could talk to Anzu, as good-looking as she was, but at least she liked him. Kaiba was so unapproachable, he might as well be in a different dimension.

“Well, I don’t know,” Anzu said, a little irritated, “but he wrote the note to you. That means he has something to say to you, personally. Maybe if you corner him, he’ll fess up to whatever it means!”

_She could be right, partner._ Yugi jumped a little at the Pharaoh’s voice in his head, his face settling into a puzzled frown when he processed what he had said. _Kaiba is direct, yes, but he is also very proud. He might be afraid that, were he to write his true thoughts, the note might get out into the public eye._

That was a good point, actually. Kaiba had a lot more notoriety than an ordinary Domino High student, and anything that made him seem vulnerable could be used by his business rivals to his detriment. So, it would make sense that he’d be reluctant to type out something embarrassing and just leave it in Yugi’s locker. Even more that he wouldn’t outright say it in front of curious bystanders.

_But…how am I supposed to just walk up to Kaiba and talk to him?_ Yugi thought back. After all, his other self knew exactly how skilled he was at conversation, especially around someone as intimidating (and attractive) as the President of Kaiba Corp. The Pharaoh didn’t reply, but Yugi could sense confusion from the Puzzle; apparently, he had won this argument. He felt a little smug about that.

“You alright, Yug’?” Jonouchi’s voice, accompanied by his hand waving in front of his face, snapped Yugi out of his mental conversation. His friends were all staring at him, their faces a mix between kind and concerned.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” Yugi said, laughing nervously and rubbing the back of his neck. “Just getting some advice from, y’know. Him.” He still didn’t know how to talk about his other self with his friends, even though they knew he existed and had interacted with him before. Trying to explain what it was like to have a whole other person inside of his heart was nearly impossible, as it turned out.

“Oh, okay. Did he have any ancient insights?” Jonouchi wiggled his fingers like he was telling a scary story.

“Not really, just more justification for Kaiba not being upfront with his feelings.” Yugi sighed, head falling into his hands for a second time. “I guess I really am going to have to ask him, huh?”

“Don’t sweat it, Yugi!” Anzu’s voice was bright, and he felt her hand grip his shoulder in solidarity. “I’m sure it will go just fine.”

Yugi lifted his head to look in Anzu’s kind eyes, feeling stronger from the faith she had in him. He smiled at her, Anzu returning the expression quickly. Maybe everything would be okay, after all!

“So, if Kaiba kills you, can I have your SNES?” Jonouchi’s eager tone was cut off by Honda throwing what was left of his sandwich at him. He sunk lower in his seat, fending off scoldings from both Honda and Anzu, but Yugi wasn’t paying attention, once again consumed by panic. Great. Either nothing at all could come from talking to Kaiba, or he could die. He wasn’t looking forward to this conversation.

* * *

Yugi had borrowed Anzu’s cell phone to text Kaiba, asking if they could meet on the roof after school. By the time his last class was dismissed, however, Anzu said that she still hadn’t gotten a reply, so it was possible he hadn’t even seen the text. All Yugi could do was trudge up the stairs leading to the roof, feeling increasingly like a prisoner heading to the gallows.

_Stand up straight, partner!_ The Pharaoh’s voice was soothing in his head, and he knew if he looked over his shoulder, he would see his translucent apparition floating beside him. _Just treat this like a duel. You and I both know how to deal with Kaiba in that setting, so take that information and apply it here!_

_It’s not that simple, Other Me._ Yugi wished he could switch out with the Pharaoh, so that he would be the one to confront Kaiba instead. His other self had refused earlier, saying that he could handle it. Besides, if Kaiba had wanted to talk to the Pharaoh, he would have just asked Yugi for a duel.

_Isn’t it?_ Even though Yugi couldn’t see him, he knew the Pharaoh was smirking; he only sounded that smug when he thought he had the upper hand.

_No, and you know exactly why._ The Pharaoh was well-aware of Yugi’s feelings toward Kaiba, and Anzu, for that matter. For him to treat this situation like a simple game, however, made a lot of sense.

_Partner, I swear, Kaiba will do you no harm, whether he knows you have romantic feelings toward him or not._ _He knows better than to threaten you, anyway, after what happened last time._

Finally, Yugi made it to the top of the stairwell, pushing open the door and sighing out loud in response to the Pharaoh. He was about to remind his other self that they don’t do penalty games anymore, but his eyes caught sight of a thin figure standing by the chain link fence, his back to the door, and his train of thought got off track. _What do you know? He actually showed up._

_I had absolute faith that he would,_ the Pharaoh responded, sounding too pleased for his own good. _Good luck, partner!_

And with that, Yugi felt the Pharaoh slip back into the Puzzle, the presence at his side gone. Yugi sighed; well, it was now or never. He cleared his throat loudly, and was amused to see Kaiba jump a little.

“Thanks for meeting me, Kaiba.” Yugi made his way to Kaiba’s side, promptly sitting down so his back was against the fence. Kaiba still hadn’t turned around, hands wrapped in the links of the fence, knuckles bleached even paler by the force of his grip.

“Yugi. What’s this about?” Kaiba kept his gaze fixed on the Domino skyline, his tone as unfriendly as usual.

“That’s what I wanted to ask you, actually.” Yugi unzipped his backpack, pulling the letter out from where he’d stashed it. He offered it to Kaiba, who snatched it out of his grip a little too quickly, crumpling the paper.

Smoothing out the envelope, Kaiba seemed to barely glance at the writing, before his head finally turned, looking in Yugi’s direction for the first time. “What’s there to say?” Though he wore his normal, displeased facial expression, Kaiba’s cheeks were flushed, and he refused to look Yugi directly in the eyes, instead seeming to focus on a point behind his head. Good—it meant he wouldn’t bear the full brunt of his intense blue gaze.

Yugi sighed—so much for the easy answer. “You put that in my locker, right?” Kaiba nodded slowly, his cheeks flushing even darker. “I don’t understand what it means. Can you explain it in, I don’t know, more than five words, please?”

Kaiba exhaled sharply through his nose—it took Yugi a second to realize that it was a laugh, rather than a noise of disgust. Still, it was the closest Yugi had ever seen to a smile on his face that wasn’t directed at Mokuba, so he felt like he was on the right track. Sooner than he liked, however, the tension returned to the air, Kaiba’s shoulders hunching inward, making him appear smaller than he was. It was an odd look—normally, he was larger than life, his extravagant clothing and tendency towards grandiose speeches giving the impression that he was more than just a person. But now, he was trying to hide in plain sight.

“I don’t know what to do about you, Yugi.” Kaiba’s voice caused Yugi to jump; how long had it been since anyone had spoken? “You’re always on my mind, no matter how I try to distract myself. And if I knew why, that would be one thing, but I can’t come to any logical conclusions.”

“So, to fix that…I have to get out of your school?” So far, nothing Kaiba said made his note make any more sense. His face was still crimson, and he had dropped his eyes again, now staring at his still-white-knuckled grip on the fence. Yugi smiled, even though he knew Kaiba wasn’t looking at him. Maybe he could lighten the mood again with a joke? “It would be easier for you to transfer, you know. You can probably buy your way into any school in the country!”

That sharp exhale again, like Kaiba himself wasn’t expecting to laugh, and was surprised. “You’re correct in that regard,” he responded, eyes darting toward Yugi for a brief moment before once again training on his hands. “But—I can’t even _think_ about you without feeling ridiculous. Transferring won’t help. Something will remind me of you, and suddenly your face is all I can see, and I feel—warm, and nervous, and it doesn’t make any sense.” He was talking faster now, and Yugi had the impression that Kaiba hardly ever talked about his feelings in this explicit detail. “I had to have a medical exam, since I thought I had an arrythmia, but my heart only races when you’re around. Why do you make me feel this way?”

_Oh_. This was—unexpected. Yugi thought he knew exactly why Kaiba felt this way, but he never thought Kaiba would think about _him…_ like _that._ “Kaiba—” he started, but had to clear his throat, the heat in his cheeks implying that his face was as red as Kaiba’s. “It sounds like you have a crush. On me.”

The silence that followed was almost unbearable. Yugi couldn’t sit still; he kept changing positions, clasping and unclasping his hands, drumming his fingers on the concrete, anything to distract himself. All the while, he looked at Kaiba, who, by contrast, was a statue. His lips were all that were moving, though he wasn’t saying anything out loud. In math class, he would do something similar when working out a problem, mouthing the steps he was taking to himself. Yugi couldn’t read lips very well, though, so he wasn’t sure what Kaiba was trying to figure out.

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Yugi found himself blurting, desperate to fill the void between them somehow. “I just—when I have a crush on somebody, that’s usually how I feel. Like there are butterflies in my stomach, I mean, and my face gets red, and my heart beats faster. But if I’m wrong, or if I made you uncomfortable, I’m sorry.”

Still, Kaiba said nothing, mouthing words to himself like Yugi hadn’t even spoken.

“Is it because I’m a boy?” Despite every desperate plea from his brain to just stop talking already, his mouth seemed determined to carry on. “Because I like boys too—not that I’m implying anything by it, uh, so does Jonouchi? Pretty much everybody I’m friends with is not straight, so I’m not judging you or anything, it’s fine if you like boys! Or if you don’t. That’s fine too. Like, whatever you feel is—”

“A crush.” Yugi shut his mouth so quickly his teeth clacked together. Kaiba, for his part, had a new look in his eyes, like curiosity, and his hands were no longer wrapped around chain link, but had fallen to his sides. “A crush,” he repeated, like he was testing out the way the words felt in his mouth. His head turned quickly, locking eyes with Yugi properly for the first time. “Yugi,” he said, slowly, “I have a crush on you.”

Yugi’s face got even hotter, feeling pinned by the weight of Kaiba’s always-intense eye contact. “I’m glad you figured it out, I guess.”

Kaiba frowned, and finally turned around, sinking against the fence like Yugi had and drawing his long legs up to his chest. “How did you know before I did?” he said, mostly to the concrete floor.

“Well, it seems like you haven’t really experienced that before, and I have, so…” Yugi trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck.

“You said—” Kaiba interrupted himself with a cough, hugging his knees and putting his head on his arms. His voice came out muffled when next he spoke. “You said that your face gets red if you have a crush on somebody, and your face is red right now.”

He didn’t connect the dots, but Yugi went cold anyway. All he could find to say was, “Uh, yep.”

Kaiba peeked one eye out of the cradle of his arms, and Yugi’s gaze locked on it, their eye contact remaining unbroken for a few moments longer than Yugi was comfortable with. Then, Kaiba unfurled himself from the ball he had formed, and scooted closer, so that their shoulders were brushing. Yugi’s breath hitched—had he ever been in this close contact with Kaiba before?

Their gaze was still locked when Kaiba surged forward and pressed his lips to Yugi’s. The kiss was brief, Kaiba’s lips rigidly closed against Yugi’s own, and when he leaned back, his eyes were wide. “I didn’t mean to do that,” he said, breathless, and shifted position, looking like he was about to stand up.

That simply would not do. Yugi put his hand over Kaiba’s, heart pounding, hoping he wouldn’t pull away. To his surprise, Kaiba froze at the contact, eyes locked on their hands. “I mean to do this,” Yugi said, softly. This time, he was the one to close the distance, putting his other hand on Kaiba’s cheek as their lips met. Initially, Kaiba was just as rigid as before, but as Yugi turned his head and closed his lips over Kaiba’s bottom lip, his mouth softened, and he began to move with Yugi in a deeper kiss.

Just as he was the one to initiate their second kiss, Yugi was also the one to pull away, opening his eyes (when had they closed?) and grinning at Kaiba. For his part, Kaiba was looking away, cheeks still red, but quickly his fingers came up to trace his own lips. “That was…nice,” Kaiba finally said, still a bit out of breath, though clearly attempting to salvage composure. “Can we do it again?”

“We’ve gotta set some ground rules, first,” Yugi said, though part of him was screaming to just kiss Kaiba over and over again. “If we’re going to do this, you have to be nice to my friends.”

Immediately, Kaiba frowned, and crossed his arms. “Why? What does this,” he said, gesturing between the two of them, “have to do with them?”

“They’re my friends?” Yugi said, statement morphing into a question by his inflection. “I don’t want my boyfriend to not be friends with my friends, that would make things so complicated.”

Kaiba opened his mouth, seemingly to respond, but stopped, instead mouthing “boyfriend” to himself. He paused for a moment, brow furrowed. “It’s going to take a while.”

“That’s fine, I’m willing to wait,” Yugi said, voice light. “Until then, we should probably work on becoming friends ourselves, you know? Like, we should spend time together outside of class and saving the world, at the very least.”

Once again, Kaiba looked like he had an argument on the tip of his tongue, but he made a dismissive sound instead. “I suppose that makes sense,” he said, though his demeanor reminded Yugi of a pouting child. He uncrossed his arms and stood up from the concrete, making Yugi stand as well.

With more confidence than he felt he possessed, Yugi reached out to take Kaiba’s hand, watching Kaiba freeze yet again. “It’s going to be fine, Kaiba. Most romances begin with friendship; let’s see how this goes, okay?”

Kaiba nodded stiffly, and to Yugi’s surprise, squeezed his hand slightly before letting go. “I have to get home,” he said hurriedly, “Mokuba’s probably wondering where I am. I… See you later, Yugi.”

“Bye, Kaiba.” Yugi watched him collect his things and walk briskly to the door, the slam of it behind him leaving a peaceful stillness in the air.

_I told you things would be okay._

_Pharaoh!_ Yugi jumped, hand over his heart. _How much did you hear?_

_I try not to eavesdrop_ , the Pharaoh said, floating in Yugi’s line of sight with an easy smile on his face. _But your feelings were so loud that I couldn’t help it. Congratulations, partner._

Yugi sighed, but smiled at the Pharaoh anyway. _I guess it did go okay. Maybe Kaiba and I can be friends after all!_

_I figured you would want to be more than friends, but sure, we’ll go with your definition._ The Pharaoh laughed, even as Yugi waved a hand in his direction with an indignant look. Sighing, Yugi grabbed his own backpack, zipping it up, before realizing that Kaiba had left the note that started this whole mess with him. He picked it up, intending to throw it away, but stopped, and tucked it into a safe place in his backpack. It would be a fun keepsake, if everything worked out.

**Author's Note:**

> if you like this, check out my other works, or follow me on tumblr (@millenniumpuzzle) for more yugioh shenanigans. thanks for reading!


End file.
